Green Jobs in Oregon Should Be Fair Jobs Too

Workers in Clackamas County will vote on whether or not to form a union today. Check out this blog post from last week about their organizing drive, and read the comments over at Blue Oregon.

Green jobs in Oregon should be fair jobs, too. guest column

By Andrea Salinas of Portland and Joe Munger of McMinnville. Andrea is legislative director of the Oregon Environmental Council. Joe is the president of United Steelworkers Local 8378.

Creating a “green economy” has become a common goal, and addressing climate change through economic development opportunities is something we’re striving to do across Oregon and in every sector of the economy. In many ways Oregon has led the way with green job creation, using tax incentives and legislative authority to encourage the growth of “green industries”.

Companies that benefit from these green industry incentives have a responsibility to ensure that green jobs are as fair and equitable for workers as they are sustainable for our economy and our environment. Most green jobs legislation has suggested that the jobs created should be good for people and the environment, but there has not been accountability. Currently, however, we all have the opportunity to hold a company that has benefitted from recent green jobs legislation accountable and call on them to ensure that their green jobs are good jobs too.

A Model Example?

CRT Processing is an electronics disassembly and recycling plant in Clackamas. This company came to Oregon after e-waste legislation passed the 2007 Oregon Legislature, requiring electronics manufacturers to create or pay for e-waste recycling centers for covered electronic devices and mandating that these recycling services be free of charge to Oregonians.

CRT Processing is leading the way in the electronics disassembly and recycling industry in Oregon. The e-waste law went into effect on January 1, 2009 and CRT Processing was prepared to start recycling items and ready to go even before that date. CRT’s programs like “Glass to Clean Glass Recycling” are critical to Oregon’s sustainable future. They not only address environmental concerns, but also provide an opportunity to expand Oregon’s green job sector. CRT Processing sounds like a model Oregon company.

Fighting Workers, Fighting Good Jobs

Several months ago, the workers at CRT contacted the United Steelworkers and conveyed their interest in organizing a union. Interested workers told stories about exposure to toxic chemicals without enough protection and a lackluster pay scale. Within a matter of weeks, a large majority of the workforce signed a petition calling for a National Labor Relations Board union recognition election.

The election was scheduled, and for the first week or two the company looked like they were going to let workers decide whether or not they wanted to form a union. But suddenly things changed. CRT Processing must have read the textbook on how to fight union organizing campaigns, and aced the test. Workers are so scared that speaking out could cost them their job that, although they support this post, none of them felt comfortable signing on to it.

Oregon needs green jobs, but Oregon also needs good jobs. CRT Processing executives have already heard from a few of our elected officials, but that’s not enough. We want you to call them out. Please join us as we call CRT Processing and explain to their executives that their employees deserve to vote on forming a union without their intimidation tactics, and that Oregonians deserve to be paid a living wage and work in a safe environment. Call general manager Chris Findlay at 503-722-2236 and company president Jim Cornwell at 608-754-3400.

Posted on September 1, 2009 in Green Jobs.